Recipe: Muffuletta Sandwich Cake

Sachin stood out during bread week with his cake take on this classic sandwich.

► Watch Bread Week (Season 2, Episode 3)

Sachin's muffuletta cake was a standout showstopper during Bread Week.

Ingredients

Bread:

• 1 ⅓ cups warm water
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 3 ¾ cups flour, divided
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Olive Salad:

• 1 cup pitted mixed olives
• 2 tbsp capers
• 3 roasted red peppers, chopped
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 10 basil leaves, chopped
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 2 packages brick cream cheese (250 grams each), at room temperature
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ tsp salt

Meat and Cheese Filling:

• 500 g provolone cheese, sliced
• 100 g Genoa salami, sliced
• 100 g coppa or mortadella, sliced
• 100 g hot Genoa salami, sliced
• 1 cup mayonnaise

Decoration:

• 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
• 5 small radishes, thinly sliced
• 6 pimento stuffed olives, cut in half lengthwise
• ¼ cup parsley leaves

Preparation

Lightly spray an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.

For the bread:

Stir together water, sugar and yeast in a small bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes, until foamy.

Whisk together 3 ½ cups flour and salt in a stand mixer bowl. Add yeast mixture and olive oil and stir to form a ragged dough. Place on stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and knead for 5 minutes on medium-low until dough is smooth, adding up to another ¼ cup of flour if dough is too sticky.

Transfer dough to a large, well-oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Place in a warm location and let rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Heat oven to 400 F. Turn the dough into prepared springform pan. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the dough continue to proof for another 45 minutes, until almost doubled in size.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the dough is lightly golden and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove springform ring and base and set aside to cool completely.

For the olive salad:

Add olives and capers to the bowl of a food processor and whirl until finely chopped. Stir together with remaining ingredients and set aside.

For the cream cheese frosting:

Beat together cream cheese, sour cream and salt with a hand mixer in a large bowl.

Place ½ cup frosting in a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.

Assembly:

Once bread has cooled, cut dome off top (reserve for another use) and cut remaining bread into 3 equal rounds.

Place a small dollop of frosting onto a serving platter or cake stand and cover with one bread round.

Spread bread with ¼ cup mayonnaise and top with ¼ of the olive salad followed by ¼ of the cheese slices and half the meats. Top with another ¼ of the cheese and olive salad. Spread underside of second bread round with ¼ cup mayonnaise and place over, pressing down lightly. Spread bread with another ¼ cup mayonnaise and repeat layers, finishing with final bread round.

Ice cake with cream cheese icing.

Finish by decorating sides with cucumber and radishes and dollop top with reserved cream cheese icing and halved olives. Sprinkle with parsley.

Preparation Time: 45 Minutes